Páraic Kerrigan

Dr. Páraic Kerrigan is an Assistant Professor in the School of Information and Communication Studies at University College Dublin. Prior to this, he was an Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Scholar and John and Pat Hume Scholar in the Department of Media Studies at Maynooth University, where he completed his doctorate in 2018. He has published widely across the fields of Media and Communication and Social Science and has worked across the media and communication industry in varying roles.

Dr. Kerrigan’s research spans three interlocking domains: (i) digital media cultures and platform politics; (ii) gender, sexuality and media representation; and (iii) the socio-technical dimensions of information, AI, and public knowledge. His work is grounded in critical theory, with an empirical and archival bent that draws from media studies, information science, queer theory, and cultural policy.

His research on digital media cultures and platform politics examines how algorithmic infrastructures, social platforms, and emergent digital practices mediate identity, discourse, and power. This work is exemplified by his co-edited book Platforming Cancel Culture and journal articles such as “The Platformization of Cancel Culture” (Television & New Media) and “The Chat-Chamber Effect: Believing the AI Hallucination” (Big Data & Society). These studies interrogate phenomena such as digital outrage, misinformation, far-right populism, and online harassment, drawing attention to the precarious nature of public discourse in datafied spaces. He has also explored the implications of digital abuse in political life through policy-facing work commissioned by the Irish Houses of the Oireachtas.

In the area of gender, sexuality and media representation, Dr. Kerrigan has been a leading figure in documenting and analysing queer media, the politics of representation, queer Irish culture and the cultural labour behind visibility. His books LGBTQ Visibility, Media and Sexuality in Ireland and Reeling in the Queers chart the evolution of queer representation in Irish media and cultural memory, and have received widespread public and critical acclaim, with Reeling in the Queers becoming an Irish Times Bestseller and receiving a nomination for Best Irish Published Book at the An post Book Awards 2024. Related work includes studies of streaming cultures and trans inclusivity (Convergence), queer documentary film (Studies in Documentary Film), and celebrity and sexuality in contemporary news cultures (Feminist Media Studies, Celebrity Studies). He has also co-authored foundational work on queer youth activism, LGBTQ visibility in public service broadcasting, and gay and lesbian media labour.

Dr. Kerrigan’s research on AI, information inequality, and public knowledge brings a critical, justice-oriented lens to how emerging technologies and data infrastructures impact marginalised communities and institutions. This includes empirical studies of personal information management practices among nonbinary individuals, birth certificates and state data structures (Sexualities, JASIST), and public library responses to anti-LGBTQ+ agitation (Journal of Librarianship & Information Science). His ongoing work on generative AI literacy, exemplified in articles in Library Trends and collaborative interdisciplinary projects, centres inclusive education, student perspectives, and the social dimensions of automation. Additionally, he has contributed to broader debates around media literacy, digital safety, and policy innovation through reports for organisations such as Research Ireland, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, and LGBT Ireland.

Across these areas, Dr. Kerrigan’s research bridges scholarly inquiry, community engagement, and institutional transformation. His contributions reflect an enduring commitment to understanding how media and information systems both enable and constrain gender and sexual minorities, democratic participation, and equitable futures.